CONTENT-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING (CBLT) IN CLASSROOM SETTING

VIOLETA N. BACSA

According to Richards and Rodgers (2001), Content-based instruction (CBI) involves integrating the learning of language with the learning of content simultaneously, in other words CBI is an approach to teaching language whereby content is a partner. They are like married couple which one is not complete without the other. Content is the subject handle by the teacher like English, Science, and Math etc. Under the CBI approach, the language is used as the medium of instruction for teaching the subject content and that the language learning objectives is achieved through content learning. As a subject English teacher in the public school, one of the problem I noticed among my students is their inability to comprehend the text given to them, lack of self confidence in speaking before the class during the recitation, shortness of English vocabularies reason why they cannot express themselves during class interaction, and hesitancy to display their various talents. To solve all these dilemma’s and helped by students to overcome all of these problems. I made a lesson plan that would cater all of these trouble by integrating Content-Based Language Teaching (CBLT). The lesson plan I made is about the subject 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the world. The objectives are; Explain the story “The Good Body” through discovery learning, demonstrate dramatic reading (Monologue), showcase student’s various talents and to work cooperatively with the group. The learning competency which I would like my students to achieve is for them to infer literary meaning from literal language based on usage. The lesson plan involves fun activities, critical thinking skills, collaborative learning, and captivated students interest, and very much students centered which explicitly visible from the start up to the end of the lesson which signal the presence of CBLT approach. At the end of the lesson, the learners met the competency I would like them to achieve for they were able to understand the entire story without me interpreting for them through discovery learning. Discovery learning is based from the theory of the psychologist Jerome Bruner (1961), which states that learners construct their own knowledge and do this by organizing and categorizing information using a coding system. Bruner believed that the most effective way to develop a coding system is to discover it rather than being told by the teacher. This means that a good teacher will design lessons that help students discover the relationship between bits of information. To do this a teacher must give students the information they need, but without organizing for them. Discovery learning is the approach I used in this lesson plan for students to discover for themselves the meaning of the text through tid bits of information given to them per group. It utilized the use of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) for they have to interpret the story using English language which is considered as the second language of Filipinos. From the motivation, discussion, performances and assignment SLA is visible. The content subject which 21st century Literature plus the text which is quite easy to interpret made way for the students to understand the entire lesson and utilized English language as a medium to express themselves during the interaction.

-oOoThe author is Teacher - III from Senior High School in Magalang Stand Alone II/Rodolfo V. Feliciano Memorial High School.